So, Brett Favre is retiring again. Maybe.

What do you guys think? Not that it really matters though. I think Favre will be back if he wants to be, but the NFL will go on with or without him, and this drama has played out so many times over the past few seasons that it's now more of a footnote than a headline. Which is a pity because he still belongs as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and his retirement sagas will always overshadow the end of his career.

Neither Favre nor the Vikings has confirmed the news, but a statement is expected later Tuesday, the sources said.

Vikings coach Brad Childress said Tuesday that he has talked to Favre in the past 24 hours, but was unaware of the reports of Favre's apparent decision to retire.

"I'm not a big hearsay person," Childress said. "I've got to hear it from the horse's mouth."

Childress told the NFL Network that the Vikings would be prepared if Favre didn't return.

"The same plays are being installed whether [Favre] was here or the guys that are here are here," Childress said.

After the Vikings completed a morning practice, Childress would not confirm Favre's status with the team and called it a "fluid situation." He told reporters that he had not heard from Favre directly about the decision, but said he could have a message waiting for him from the quarterback.

With Favre, of course, nothing is ever necessarily final after 19 NFL seasons. He told the Vikings last year he wouldn't play, but changed his mind and joined them immediately after they broke training camp, with Childress even driving to the airport to pick him up. Camp this year ends on Aug. 12.

Owner Zygi Wilf, vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman and vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski spent nearly the entire two-hour morning practice in a huddle. All three were unavailable for comment afterward.

"It wouldn't surprise me one way or the other whether he elects to play or whether he elects to retire," Childress said. "I think all of us can live with it either way. The big thing is that he's at peace with it."

Favre and his agent, Bus Cook, did not return messages from the AP.

Every Minnesota player asked about Favre after practice reacted with the hesitation after three years of answering questions about Favre's future.

"I plead the fifth on everything," defensive end Jared Allen said. "I love Brett and he reserves the right to do what he wants to do. We obviously love him as a teammate. We'd like to have him back. But until it's official, I'll believe it when I see it."

Favre has waffled on retiring every summer since 2002. It led to an ugly parting with the Packers that got him traded from Green Bay to the Jets in 2008. After a so-so season in New York, he announced his retirement in early 2009 for the second time, then reconsidered and signed with the Vikings.

He had one of his best seasons last year, with career bests in completion percentage (68.4), quarterback rating (107.2) and fewest interceptions (7), while throwing for 33 TDs and 4,202 yards to lead the Vikings to an NFC North title. He hurt his left ankle in the NFC Championship Game loss to the New Orleans Saints and had arthroscopic surgery in May.

Favre was under contract for $13 million this season, but only if he plays.

"It's always back and forth with Brett," quarterback Tarvaris Jackson said. "It's his decision. He deserves the opportunity to decide when he's going to retire or not, whether he wants to retire or not. It's up to him. Right now, I'm just trying to focus on getting better."

Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs said Tuesday that he wasn't convinced that Favre was actually retiring.

"I won't believe it until I see Tarvaris Jackson starting against us," Briggs said.

"It's like believing in Santa Claus. You get gifts, but you ain't seen Santa Claus," he said. "We'll see what happens ... If he does retire, congratulations. It's a well-deserved retirement. But if he does come back, we'll be gunning for him the same way."

Nearly everyone had assumed Favre would return and he did nothing to discourage that. He threw passes for a second straight summer with high school students in Hattiesburg, Miss., joked about playing until he's 50 and said playing another year wouldn't worsen his already-damaged ankle.

Childress shrugged off all the questions and admitted he didn't know whether Favre would really come back. The Vikings didn't pursue a trade for Donovan McNabb and declined to select a quarterback of the future in the draft.

Still, Favre took a beating in the loss to the Saints and said afterward that he would not take long to make a decision on returning for the second year of his contract. As the months ticked by, Favre posted a statement on his website reminding everyone that his ankle problems didn't mean his career was over.

If Favre decides to actually retire for good, it will end one of the most storied careers in NFL history.

A three-time league MVP (1995-97), Favre won Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers. His 11 Pro Bowl appearances are the most ever by a quarterback.

Indeed, Favre holds most major NFL records for a quarterback, including career touchdowns (497), yards passing (69,329); wins (181); and seasons with at least 3,000 yards passing (1.

Of course, he also has thrown the most interceptions (317) and been sacked 503 times -- a long, long history of wear and tear.

Many of Favre's sacks came on scrambles, and so did the picks as he fearlessly tried to force the ball -- underhanded, left-handed, whatever worked -- where few, if any, could put it. He brought a sense of danger to the game and Vikings fans responded in droves. He was a classic gunslinger and has never minded the label.

"I would hope 20, 30 years from now, I'm remembered for something else besides records," Favre told The Associated Press in 2007, when the annual summer waffling was still sort of new. "Whether I have them or don't have them. If that's the only way I'm remembered, apparently I didn't do something right or leave a good enough impression on the fans. ...

"I know when I leave the game, I'm going to miss it. I know that. I'm not going to sit here and say, when I leave, it's over and I felt like I've done everything there is to do.

"I feel like I've given every ounce of energy I can give every single time I stepped on the field."

A popular morning radio host here has said that someone supposedly tipped him off saying that the wife renewed her gym membership in Minnesota. Either he's coming back, or they're retiring to Minnesota if this is true.